Known in the art is a welder trainer which comprises a welding electrode simulator featuring a burn-off simulation drive, a high-frequency generator simulating the welding arc, a workpiece model whereon special paper is attached. This trainer is capable of imitating some effects accompanying the welding process, such as light, noise, smoke, and also simulates the movement of the electrode over the workpiece, arc initiation, electrode vibrations (cf., for example, GDR Patent No. 109,278, IPC G 09 B 9/00, 1975, patent holders: Gunther Schutt, Siegfried Wensel).
The disadvantage of this welder trainer consists in that the welder training quality is not adequate due to incomplete involvement of physical factors of the welding process. Moreover, no control over the welding process parameters is provided.
Also known in the art is a trainer for welders, which comprises an electric spark generator, and a welding electrode simulator equipped with a holder and a motor drive to simulate the electrode burning-off during welding.
The training device also comprises a workpiece simulating unit on which a sheet of paper, conventional or electrographic, is secured. A spark discharge simulating the welding arc is generated between the workpiece simulating unit and the tip of the welding electrode simulator. This spark discharge is used to trace the path of the electrode tip. The training device also comprises a pulse counter whose readings are used to monitor the simulated welding process and record how many times the arc gap between the electrode and workpiece has been interrupted or exceeded in relation to the specified length. The control unit is connected, via the electric spark generator, with the welding electrode simulator. Also connected to the control unit is a headset which produces audible signals indicative of the correctness of the welder's manipulations.
This technical solution (cf., for example, V. P. Lugin, V. A. Kuzmichev, Apparatus for Training Welders, Svarochnoe Proizvodstvo, Moscow, No. 9, pp. 50-51) was adopted as the prior art device of the present invention.
This prior art training device is deficient in that it can only be used to train welders in a limited number of welding operations. The device cannot be used for training in welding 3-D workpieces. In addition, the device provides no means for monitoring the arc gap length, the electrode tilt angle, and the welding speed.
The efficiency of training is, therefore, not high. Moreover, there is no optical feedback offered to the trainee by which he can assess his actions in the welding process. This also affects the efficiency of the training process.